DLT Mix 002 - DJ Para (DEA Project)

Our second Days Like That mix drops from DLT resident DJ Para, who just about any true two-step head will know as one of the driving forces, alongside Richard Laleye and Lloyd E Holder, within legendary underground garage outfit DEA Project.

To say that the DEA Project are a fundamental reason as to why Days Like That even exists is a total understatement. Between 1997 and 2000, the South London outfit wrote what were in our opinion some of the best, most forward-thinking and unique two-step tunes ever laid to wax and the idea of hearing those tracks, back-to-back, at our own rave were the very reason we started up the pre-cursor to Days Like That (called - slightly naffly - Sounds Of Our Youth) last February and asked Para to come down to play. It was a dream booking. A bit of nostalgic indulgence to hark back to the days when we'd puff weed as clueless teenagers in our parent's sheds and mix red-eyed through DEA's arsenal, getting blown back by every beat. And DEA Project classics sets were not something we'd ever seen done at any other rave. So why not do it ourselves, eh?

In fact, it's always struck as a bit odd that DEA Project never really got the recognition they deserved for such groundbreaking two-step sounds. We all know just how many props the likes of Groove Chronicles and Zed Bias (quite rightly) collected for taking the two-step funk of UK garage down the darker direction that fed into the birth of dubstep, but DEA Project's legendary discography seemed to get forgotten about a bit by all but the most voracious two-step hounds.

Odd, also, because they had a sound totally of their own. Whether we're talking the bleep funk badness, sub booms and natty shuffle of 'So High', the jazzy future-soul of 'Circles Of My Life' or the cheeky cut-up funk of 'Nasty Bitch' you can tell a DEA Project beat from the second it drops. And boy do their tracks drop. If there's one thing, DEA tracks had above all others pushing that darker, minimalist two-step sound, it was the drops... find us one dance that doesn't go batshit when 'Come & Get It Girl' flips into that boomerang funk bassline and skankin' drum shuffle. Nope, didn't think so.

Luckily for you, that very track is included on this mix but, other than that, Para hasn't gone on the producer's ego trip that some might. But then Para's always been a DJ first and foremost and this is most definitely a DJ's DJ mix, sharing the sounds that have inspired him and taking us on a proper journey through UK garage and its many underground evolutions. First going right back to the soulful 4/4 garage sound that ruled the London Sunday scene and nights like Spreadlove Project back in the mid-90s, Para pushes it up into the bumpier Tuff Jam-styled sound that followed (Tuff Jam's killer remix of Soul II Soul's 'Pleasure Dome' features), before dropping into two-step with Groove Chronicles's beautifully light remix of Conner Reeves blue-eyed soul nugget 'Read My Mind', Dem 2's 'Baby You're So Sexy' and even working right into some proper proto dubstep badness. It's ruff.

Don't just take our word for how absolutely rude the selection is, though. Download the link below and work it out for yourself. Oh and come down Days Like That tonight to see the badman bust it out in the flesh. Nicely.

Days Like That Mix 002 - DJ Para (DEA Project) by Days Like That

DLT Mix 001 - Dem 2

The first in our series of Days Like That mixes comes from underground dons Dem 2 - the two-step legends that seriously exploded with the release of 1997's classic 'Destiny' .

With a totally unique, alien groove of madly spliced vox, shuffling beats and killer hooks, 'Destiny' remains a truly timeless and definitive two-step anthem (and was arguably the first) and still sounds fresh as fuck today... some 13 years on.

Pretty damn prolific in their day, their back cat of remixes is a never-ending list of two-step classics from the more well-known anthems like their remix of Tina Moore's second single 'Nobody Better' and SJ's 'I Feel Divine', through darker more left-of-field moments like their bass-heaving 'Da Grunge' mix of their own US Alliance beat 'All I Know' on Locked On, to the lesser known gems like the raw almost-forgotten, darksteppin' rework of Wamdue Project's house anthem 'King Of My Castle' under their Moral Fibre guise which never came out and we've only ever heard on one of those Pure Silk CDs (think it was an Ayia Napa one).

Funnily enough, Dean from Dem 2 has chosen not to whack any of them on their DLT 001 mix but it says shit loads about both his record collection and their own discography that it's pure sickness and garage goodness all the way.

From the bumping shimmering soul of the TJ Cases remix of Thump 'n' Johnson's'Valley Of Love' to the weird, whacked and way-ahead-of-it's-time breakbeat funk of Dem 2's dub remix of Divine Styler's 'Directrix', it's full of the dark, dubby infectious funk that Dem 2 once owned and builds into plenty of quality, bumping 4/4 bizzle from Todd Edwards, Nice 'n' Ripe records and the punchy bass badness and skippy keys of Big Bird's 'Flav' on the Flirt EP.

We also got Dean from Dem 2 on email for a little chat ahead of his set at Days Like That on Friday 30th April.

DLT: The Dem 2 sounds was distinctive for mutating and cutting-up vocals to build that mad alien funk. What were your main influences on that tip?

Dean: My influence on chopping up vocals was Cabaret Voltaire and I started doing it in my productions as far back as 1987.

DLT: You were always cited and celebrated as one of the true leaders of the garage scene back in the day and the hype was backed up by tune after tune. How come you never got round to releasing an album?

Dean: We did do a Dem 2 album but it didn't get released as the record company followed the scene change and didn't know how to market it. We're still thinking of releasing it as 'Dem 2: The Lost Tapes' as it is forward thinking and timeless.

DLT: Why did Dem 2 seem to disappear for a while? Did you feel garage had lost the funk?

Dean: Dem 2 will never be totally quiet, it just got put on the back burner while I got married, had my little girl, invested into property and worked on my book. I am going to be doing some remixes soon for various labels and also supplying music for my Film4 project. It definitely lost something, not sure what, maybe it got too fragmented.

DLT: Are there any exclusives in your mix?

Dean: There are no exclusives on there, otherwise it's not exclusive anymore. To be honest, I only really play my exclusives when I smash up a venue so I'll be bringing plenty unreleased Dem 2 bombs with me to Days Like That.

Download the first Days Like That podcast from the links below.



Days Like That Mix 001 - Dem 2 by Days Like That